Oklahomans Signing Up For Health Care As Deadline Nears

Sunday is the last day to sign up for health insurance through the Affordable Care Act Marketplace. That's why one local clinic spent the day helping people sign up.

But it wasn't totally glitch free.

Morton Health Clinic was full of people ready to sign up for insurance before the deadline February 15. But some people did walk away without being fully signed up - apparently the website did go down this afternoon.

Navigators say that shouldn't prevent people from getting enrolled.

"I was really hesitant about all of this, just the whole process but now I feel really confident," said Stephanie Ruiz.

Ruiz was signing up for health insurance for the first time. She says she tried to do it by herself online but didn't like the process. That's when she heard about the sign up at Morton and decided to give it a try.

2/13/2015 Related Story: 'Sign-Up Saturday' Held In Tulsa To Assist With Insurance Enrollment

"Once you got back there it was quick and easy, ten minutes, the process has been started now all I have to do is call and then everything is ready to go," she said.

And it's cases like Stephanie's that Marketplace Navigators hope to help with.

"We're in a partnership with a number of non-profits here within the state of Oklahoma to provide this assistance to individuals that may run into complications making the applications online or they just need additional assistance or have additional questions and they may not have been able to contact someone at Healthcare.gov," said Jerry Goodwin, Morton Comprehensive Health.

But things did hit a snag during the day with Healthcare.gov.

"Apparently the system was down, the website so they were having a little bit of trouble, but I have the application started so now all I have to do is call," said health care applicant Stephanie Ruiz.

Navigators say that even with the hold up, it shouldn't prevent people from meeting the deadline.

In fact, they say, as long as people have started the process - they can get help later.

"So we're encouraging everyone just to begin the process and then we can help them if they miss completing the application tomorrow, and we can help them to do that over the next several weeks," Goodwin said.

And it's that kind of help that Stephanie says makes her feel better.

"A weight off my shoulders," she said.

If you begin the sign up process yourself before midnight Sunday night, you will still have made the deadline.

Go to Healthcare.gov for more information.